Donations can be dropped off on the second floor administration lobby at Chukchansi Park

The Fresno Grizzlies, Triple-A affiliate of the Houston Astros, will join Catholic Charities Diocese of Fresno in giving back to the community this holiday season. Catholic Charities is a non-profit social service agency located in Downtown Fresno that is dedicated to serving all of those in need throughout the Fresno, Merced, and Kern counties. Together, the Grizzlies and Catholic Charities will work towards receiving winter clothing item donations to help provide families and individuals to stay warm through the winter season.

The Coat and Blanket Drive will take place at Chukchansi Park and is open to anyone who would like to donate new or gently used articles of clothing for the winter. The drive will commence on Monday, December 8th and run through Saturday, December 13th. Drop-off hours will be 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday on the second floor lobby of the Grizzlies administration office (enter ballpark off H Street). The donation drive will end on Saturday, December 13th with a drop-off point on the corner of Tulare/H Street in front of the Chukchansi Park Gate 1 sign from 8:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Anyone making a donation will receive two (2) complimentary ticket vouchers for a 2015 Fresno Grizzlies home game.

It is recommended that donations consist of coats and/or blankets, but any clothing garments practical for the winter are also welcomed.

A list of suggestions is below:

Coats

Blankets/Quilts/Comforters

Gloves/Mittens

Sweaters

Winter Boots

Hoodies

Hats/Beanies

Ear Muffs/Headbands

Scarves

Full-length Pants/Sweats

Long-sleeved shirts

Socks

***All items donated must be gently used, in good condition or new***

As the winter season arrives and temperatures get cooler, there are many people who can benefit from the donation of any winter apparel. Many families in the Fresno, Merced, and Kern county areas do not have the means to purchase new clothing items at this time of year. A donation of at least one item can help tremendously.

ABOUT CATHOLIC CHARITIES:

Catholic Charities Diocese of Fresno is a non-profit social service agency located in Downtown Fresno. They are devoted to helping and empowering people of the community and have been serving low-income residents in Fresno, Merced, and Kern County for over 47 years. Catholic Charities promotes community empowerment through assistance in applying and enrollment for government and public programs that are designed to lower monthly expenditures. An in-house food pantry allows the organization to feed an average of 120 to 130 families daily. This specific Catholic Charities location at 149 Fulton Street also houses a thrift store, which not only clothes families in crisis, but is also open to the public. All proceeds go directly back to Social Service programs of Catholic Charities.

This article originally appeared on the official website of the Fresno Grizzlies. Click here to view the original story.

Fresno Grizzlies players and coaches will join the field

The Grizzlies Community Fund will be hosting the third annual Grizzlies Golf Tournament on August 6th at the Copper River Country Club located on 2140 E. Clubhouse Drive in Fresno, California. One of the marquee events put on by the Grizzlies Community Fund, the golf tournament places participants right alongside Future Giants as teams compete in a four-man scramble for various prizes. All proceeds from the event directly benefit the Grizzlies Community Fund, which seeks to continue making a lasting and positive impact in the Central Valley. In 2013, tournament proceeds aided in the ability to support over 500 community and non-profit groups throughout the Central Valley.

Foursome packages are still available for interested participants, along with individual and team options. To register for the tournament, a downloadable registration form can be found here. Participants are encouraged to register as soon as possible as there are a limited number of foursomes remaining.

Registration includes: A pre-tournament breakfast, a bucket of range balls, team photo, sponsored giveaway items, free beverages (provided at holes 3, 6, 9, 12, and 15), and a post tournament mixer that will include drinks and hors d’oeuvres.

Golf attire is required. Collared shirts and slacks or shorts are preferred (no steel spikes are allowed on the course). Check-in for the tournament begins at 7:30 a.m. and a breakfast will be provided before the shotgun start at 9:00 a.m.

This article originally appeared on the official website of the Fresno Grizzlies. Click here to view the original story.

Golf with Grizzlies players and coaches, help support the Grizzlies Community Fund

FRESNO, Calif. – The Fresno Grizzlies will host their second annual golf outing on Wednesday, June 5th at Copper River Country Club. The event, presented by Jani-King International Inc., will benefit the Fresno Grizzlies Community Fund (GCF). This is a chance for golfers to play alongside select Grizzlies players and coaches and benefit a worthwhile cause. The field is limited to 144 golfers and there are a limited number of Fresno Grizzlies players and coaches participating, so it is recommended interested golfers register early.

The second annual Fresno Grizzlies Golf Tournament will have a 12:30 pm shotgun start, with lunch provided before the tournament begins. Registration includes a bucket of range balls, team photo, sponsored giveaway items, free beverages provided at five different holes, and a post-tournament mixer with drinks and hors d’oeuvres. Golf attire is required. Check-in is at 10:30 am on the day of the tournament.

Registration options include:

Individual Player Registration – $150

Single player green fees & cart

Foursome Pack – $600

One team of four golfers

Two Grizzlies ticket vouchers per player

Grizzlies Team Pack – $800

One team of four golfers

Hole Sponsor

Four Grizzlies ticket vouchers per player

Grizzlies Gold Pack – $2,500

Two teams of four golfers

Hole Sponsor

Four The CRU Club game tickets per player

Grizzlies Platinum Pack – $3,000

Three teams of four golfers

Hole Sponsor

$250 in Pro Shop Credit

One Luxury Suite night for a 2013 home game (1 per group)

Grizzlies Diamond Pack – $3,500

One team of three golfers teamed with a Fresno Grizzlies player or coach

Hole Sponsor

$350 in Pro Shop Credit

One Owner’s Suite night for a 2013 home game (1 per group)

Golfers can enjoy a round with friends, co-workers, and business associates while supporting the Fresno Grizzlies Community Fund, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. The Fresno Grizzlies Community Fund manages several community programs, including Wild About Reading, Farm Grown, and Junior Grizzlies. The Fresno Grizzlies Community Fund impacts many lives throughout the Central San Joaquin Valley through its own programs or by partnering with other local organizations. For example, Wild About Reading enrolled 101,000 Central Valley students in 2013, challenging each student to read 10 books over five books with two free tickets to a Grizzlies game as an incentive.

Additional sponsorship opportunities are available, such as tee box sponsor, green sponsor, longest drive, closet to the pin, and more. To register or seek more information, please contact Jerry James or Whitney Campbell of the Fresno Grizzlies front office at (559) 320-HITS.This article originally appeared on the official website of the Fresno Grizzlies. Click here to view the original story.

Funds to help procure adaptive equipment for victims

FRESNO, Calif. – The Fresno Grizzlies Community Fund (GCF) raised $784 for the Challenged Athletes Foundation’s Boston Marathon Fund during the Grizzlies’ game at Chukchansi Park on Saturday, April 20th. The GCF raffled off an autographed bat, which was signed by the entire Fresno Grizzlies team, during the game.

“The tragedy during the Boston Marathon affected the entire nation, and we felt it was necessary for our community of Grizzlies fans to do our part,” said Team President Chris Cummings. “As a native of New England, I am proud of the Grizzlies and the Grizzlies fans for their donation to a worthy cause with the Challenged Athletes Foundation.”

Challenged Athletes Foundation started the Boston Marathon Fund in response to last week’s bombings at the Boston Marathon on April 15th.

Challenged Athletes Foundation supports athletes with physical challenges by providing the appropriate adaptive equipment, hosting clinics, and connecting mentors and mentees. In addition to helping victims procure adaptive equipment, they are hosting a running clinic in Boston in October. They are also inviting the Boston Marathon bombing victims to CAF’s San Diego Triathlon Challenge, which features more than 250 physically challenged athletes in October.

Challenged Athletes Foundation is still accepting donations for its Boston Marathon Fund. For those that are interested, they can donate to the grant fund here.This article originally appeared on the official website of the Fresno Grizzlies. Click here to view the original story.

Program finishes its 10th year by reaching new heights

Wild About Reading wrapped up its 10th year with over 100,000 students enrolled in the program, the Fresno Grizzlies Community Fund announced. The 100,000+ students enrolled is the highest number of students registered in a single year for the program. Wild About Reading, presented by Chukchansi Gold Resort & Casino, Educational Employees Credit Union (EECU), and PG&E, challenges students to read 10 books over five weeks with the incentive of two free tickets to a 2013 Grizzlies game at Chukchansi Park for those that reach the 10-book goal.

“Thank you to all the students and schools that helped us reach our goal,” said Grizzlies Community Fund Manager Whitney Campbell. “We are happy to have been able to reach 100,000 students with the Wild About Reading program in 2013. The educational experience of reading and reward of attending a Fresno Grizzlies baseball game will have an impact on numerous Central Valley students for years to come.”

Wild About Reading utilizes baseball to promote reading in and outside the classroom. There are 10 Grizzlies games this season in which Wild About Reading students that reached their goal are assigned to attend. The GCF will also be giving away Kindle Fires to lucky readers at Grizzlies games as well as two laptops to the school with the highest game attendance percentage.

This year’s program featured a new Farm Grown magazine that was given to each student enrolled in the program. The Farm Grown magazine, published by the Grizzlies Community Fund and Farm Progress, included the program’s main story “Parker Goes To The Farm,” which teaches readers the importance of the farming industry to the Central Valley region and how food goes from farm to plate. The Farm Grown magazine also has games and puzzles with farming themes for grades K-8.

From December of 2012 to March 2013, Parker, Eddie the Owl from EECU, and the Grizzlies front office staff visited over 150 schools in the Fresno, Kings, Madera, Mariposa, and Merced counties to perform over 250 Wild About Reading kickoff assemblies.

Information about the Wild About Reading program for 2014 will be available after the Grizzlies’ 2013 season.

This article originally appeared on the official website of the Fresno Grizzlies. Click here to view the original story.

A record 97,000 students are striving to read 970,000 books

FRESNO, Calif. – The Fresno Grizzlies have announced that its extensive, award-winning Wild About Reading program enrolled over 97,000 students across the Central Valley in 2012, setting a new record for total enrolled students. The seven-year-old program experienced an increase of over 26,000 students from last year’s previous record of 71,000 students.

“It is amazing to see the amount of interested schools and students for Wild About Reading this year,” said Grizzlies’ Community Relations Manager Ryan Moran. “To watch the program grow to extraordinary levels over the last couple of years, we are proud of the Central Valley students that are striving to reach their reading goal and cannot wait to see them at a Grizzlies game.”

The reading program encourages students to read 10 books in five weeks. If a student reaches the goal, he or she receives two free tickets to a 2012 Grizzlies home game. Students can redeem their tickets for the specific game date designated to their school. This year’s Wild About Reading game dates are April 15, April 20, April 29, May 11, June 3 and June 10.

In addition to the goal of reading 10 books, Wild About Reading features an interactive assembly held at schools from as far north as Merced to a southern-most reach of Lemoore. In 2012, Grizzlies mascot Parker, Eddie the Owl from EECU and the Grizzlies front office staff performed the assembly at 165 schools. The program runs for three months from January to March.

The Fresno Grizzlies kick off their 15th season in Fresno on Friday, April 13th when they take on the Tacoma Rainiers, Triple-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners. Fans are encouraged to Orange Out Opening Day for the 7:05 pm game. Tickets are available through the Chukchansi Park Box Office, online at www.FresnoGrizzlies.com or by calling 559.320.TIXS.This article originally appeared on the official website of the Fresno Grizzlies. Click here to view the original story.

Proceeds from the event to benefit Fresno Community Food Bank

FRESNO, Calif. – The Fresno Grizzlies will host their inaugural golf outing on Wednesday, June 6th and is scheduled to be played at Copper River Country Club. The event, presented by Crown Jewels Produce and the Fresno Grizzlies Community Fund (GCF), will benefit the Fresno Community Food Bank and the GCF. Grizzlies fans will enjoy a round of golf with friends, co-workers, and business associates while supporting two local non-profit organizations. The field is limited to 144 golfers or 36 teams of four members.

Participants in the outing will also have the opportunity to golf alongside Fresno Grizzlies players and coaches at the event. There are a limited number of players and coaches participating, however, so it is recommended golfers register for the event early, as groups will be formed on a first come, first serve basis.

In addition to the 18 holes of golf, registration also includes lunch before the tournament, a bucket of range balls, free beverages provided at holes 3, 6, 9, 12, and 15, a post-tournament mixer with drinks and hors d’oeuvres, team photo, and sponsored giveaway items.

Several sponsorship packages are available for the golf outing:

Individual Player Registration ($250)

Includes: Single Player Green Fees & Cart, Two mid-week ticket vouchers to a Grizzlies game

Grizzlies Team Pack ($800)

Includes: One team of four golfers, Four ticket vouchers to a Grizzlies game per player

Grizzlies Gold Pack ($2,500)

Includes: Two teams of four golfers, Hole Sponsor, Two ticket voucher packs (10 tickets per pack) per player

Grizzlies Platinum Pack ($3,000)

Includes: Three teams of four golfers, Hole Sponsor, $250 in Pro Shop Credit, One Luxury Suite Night for a mid-week Grizzlies game

Grizzlies Diamond Pack ($3,500)

Includes: One team of three golfers, teamed with a Grizzlies player or coach, Hole Sponsor, $350 in Pro Shop Credit, One Owner’s Suite Night for a mid-week Grizzlies game

Additional sponsorship opportunities are available, such as tee box sponsor, green sponsor, longest drive, closest to the pin, and much more. To register or seek more information, please contact Director of Corporate Sales Jerry James or Account Executive Chris Curry of the Fresno Grizzlies front office or by calling 559.320.HITS.This article originally appeared on the official website of the Fresno Grizzlies. Click here to view the original story.